Alice's Hell (7) - The Fat Chef

In the darkness, two men wearing smiling masks stared intently at a small wooden box, very close together, speechless for a moment, like a pantomime suddenly paused. The scene was utterly comical.

Yu Xing had no idea that he had given up hope of finding any lighting tools, but suddenly a glimmer of hope appeared, and he found an unexpected item in the last cabinet.

He held the small wooden box in his hands, examined it for a while in the almost imperceptible light, and then ran his finger across the box.

The small wooden box was completely bare, without any patterns. If it weren't for its unusual location, it would be almost impossible to notice.

The box was locked with a padlock, and Yu Xing discovered that there was no matching key in the drawer of the small wooden box.

Zeng Lai leaned closer and closer, almost touching the box, and asked, "What's this thing?"

Yu Xing hefted the box in her hand, and a slight rattling sound came from inside. She shook her head. "I don't know, should we try breaking it open?"

Zeng Lai: "Good heavens, smash that thing!"

Yu Xing pinched the two sides of the small box with his fingers and felt that the box was not very hard; he could crush it with his superhuman grip strength alone.

However, just as he exerted his strength, a faint light flashed on the box, and a deduction prompt sounded.

The box appears to have been marked with a special symbol; it cannot be opened or damaged without a key.

[You have a feeling, deep down, that the key is at the end of this corridor.]

"This is a prop box, right?" Yu Xing became more certain after seeing the deduction prompt. The fact that it even provided a key hint meant that the deduction system wanted them to open it.

Unfortunately, they ultimately failed to find any lighting equipment and were unable to immediately venture into the corridor to retrieve the key.

He shared the clue with Zeng Lai, Zeng Lai nodded. "Okay, now at least we have a target. Let's take the box back to our room and hide it. Although we're not sure if it's definitely an item, it's at least something powerful, and we can't let the Fallen Path steal it."

"That's what I was thinking too." Yu Xing smiled slightly, the unexpected gain putting him in a good mood.

Tick-tock.

Suddenly, a drop of water fell at Yu Xing's feet and shattered into countless fragments.

His hearing was already very sensitive, and it was further enhanced by the system after his promotion, so even such a faint sound could not escape his ears.

Zeng Lai naturally heard it too, and he asked softly, "Why is water dripping here?"

As soon as he finished speaking, another drop of water brushed against Yu Xing's mask and landed on his clothes. Yu Xing's eyes lit up with interest, and he looked up.

They were so focused on looking at the corridor and the walls that they completely forgot to look above them.

In the dim light, the ceiling was an easy place to overlook. Just as Yu Xing looked up, another drop of water dripped straight into the eye hole of his mask. He seemed to sense it and took a step back to avoid it.

At the same time, he could barely make out the scene on the ceiling.

The ceiling, seemingly soaked by time, was covered with thick marks, and in the very center, a blood-red circle with a diameter of more than one meter was drawn!

The blood array had a strange appearance with clear and complete lines. At first glance, it reminded Yu Xing of some kind of demonic culture in Europe. It looked like a summoning array, or like something to be sacrificed. The overwhelming evil aura made him squint.

The blood array should have dried up, but in the short half minute that Yu Xing stood directly below it, it became moist, and the blood-red lines within it seemed to be wriggling and slowly coming to life.

What was dripping just now wasn't water, it was blood!

[You have discovered the "Abyssal Blood Array". Since the array is not activated, the Ghost Announcement will not be updated.]

[Warning: The Abyssal Blood Array is awakening. Please move away as soon as possible.]

"Damn it, let's go!" Zeng Lai pulled Yu Xing. "Based on my experience, this should be a sensory ghost array. It won't be triggered if no one is nearby. We're already within its sensing range! Or maybe it's guarding the box, and it woke up when we took it. Anyway, hurry..."

"Oh." Yu Xing didn't need him to pull her. Hearing Zeng Lai say that, she immediately ran towards the stairs and disappeared in a flash, faster than a rabbit.

Zeng Lai: "..." Good grief!

He shut his mouth and chased after Yu Xing; the two quickly returned to the fork in the road on the third floor.

After they left, the blood, which had already shown signs of melting, dried up again. The blood pool writhed for a while before finally falling silent.

"You run pretty fast, did you use points to enhance your physique...?"

Zeng Lai finally caught up with Yu Xing and was about to say something when he saw Yu Xing with her hands on her knees, panting.

This person looks so incredibly tired; they don't seem like someone who's undergone any kind of physical enhancement. If their breathing were any louder, Zeng Lai would suspect that they were about to faint from lack of air.

He scratched his head, his eye twitching. "Never mind."

This person's constitution is weaker than the average person's; is it possible they have a real-life illness?

No offense intended, he was referring to a physical illness, such as heart disease or cancer.

Both of these can be treated with points, but many deducers, having just advanced to the Differentiation Tier, exchanged their points for items to comfort their fragile hearts that had stumbled and barely survived their advancement.

Perhaps that's why he didn't have time to get treatment? Terminal illnesses and incurable diseases require a lot of points, which is why it was delayed... Zeng Lai thought.

Yu Xing had no idea that Zeng Lai was making a lot of convoluted assumptions. He simply wanted to escape the blood array to avoid getting injured or revealing his abilities.

His current speed is acceptable, and his explosive power is sufficient, but his stamina is completely lacking. He has to rest after running for a while, otherwise he will feel dizzy and short of breath. Once this simulation is completed, the conditions on his wish list will be fulfilled, and his actions will be much more convenient afterward.

After catching his breath for a moment under Zeng Lai's undisguised concern for people with disabilities, Yu Xing straightened up and walked with Zeng Lai along the corridor to the fork in the main corridor.

The small wooden box had a ring on it, and he casually picked it up, making a dull thud from the contents inside.

The two stayed on the fifth floor for more than ten minutes. At this time, Huai and Huang Bai came out after exploring the bathroom, while the remaining four deducers were nowhere to be found.

Zeng Lai glanced back at Huai and Huang Bai, who were emerging from the other side of the path, and whispered to Yu Xing, "Go back to your room and hide the box first."

"Hiding it in my room?" A hint of amusement flashed across Yu Xing's eyes. He had thought that Zeng Lai would say it wasn't safe to leave something so important with him and would instead keep it for him.

After all, the box was found by the two of them together, and it didn't belong entirely to him. Zeng Lai had a good reason to take it if he wanted to.

"Just leave it with you. I'm afraid I'll squander it again if I leave it here. That kid Ren Yi scolds me every day for not being calm enough." Zeng Lai pouted a little annoyed, then realized that Yu Xing couldn't see his expression under the mask and couldn't feel his complaints, so he restrained himself, feeling bored.

The two whispered to each other, walking quickly. Huai, who was behind them, could only vaguely see that they were carrying something before the curved wall blocked his view.

"Huai~ They seem to have found something good." Huang Bai hopped over to Huai's side with his hands behind his back. "Should we go and negotiate? I heard the gambler has a good reputation, good character, and should be trustworthy, right? We can discuss exchanging information with them!"

Huai was a little exasperated by this overly lively girl. "I've considered what you said, but you don't need to speak so loudly. If someone with ulterior motives hears, then..."

"I was wrong~" Before Huai could finish lecturing Huang Bai immediately adopted a submissive attitude, causing Huai to stop mid-sentence.

This was his first time meeting Huang Bai, and he was certain that this woman was quite capable and not just the harmless person she appeared to be.

So far, she hasn't done anything out of line and hasn't objected to his commands. From a "teammate's" perspective, she is undoubtedly qualified.

Thinking of this, Huai stopped talking and said, "... Alright, let's try to make contact with them during dinner. Based on my understanding of gamblers, he and Xing probably went to the fifth floor. They came down so quickly, there's probably some obstruction on the fifth floor, so they can't investigate very far. Let's go to the second floor and take a look first."

Dinner was at 6:30 p. m. By the time Yu Xing and his group arrived at the observation deck, it was already past 5 p. m. The bright lights of the open-air kitchen on the second floor had overshadowed the observation deck.

After realizing that neither Huai and Huang Bai nor the things in the blood array on the fifth floor had followed, the two slowed their pace considerably, and even had the leisure to stand on the crystal observation deck and look down.

From their excellent vantage point, they can see the entire kitchen.

The kitchen has a steampunk style that Yu Xing familiar with, with red and white as the main colors. It has everything you can find in a kitchen: a refrigerator, a stove, a soup pot, a bowl for storing ingredients, a knife rack, a spice rack, and so on.

Alice clearly likes this style; it feels very familiar.

Two large, obese humans dressed in white chef's uniforms were stirring a pot of thick soup with giant spoons. The gears on the pot spun rapidly, and the soup steamed, releasing a fragrant aroma that wafted straight into Yu Xing and Zeng Lai's noses.

Another chef of similar build was carrying a plate of vegetables in his chubby hands, trudging his fleshy legs toward the chopping board.

"Holy crap, is this a chef?"

Zeng Lai was not swayed by the aroma. He looked at the chefs, whose fat was impossible to conceal, and asked in a low voice.

Because the chefs are so unlike normal people.

The tall hats were placed on the chefs' heads, which were a size larger than those of ordinary people. Judging from their expressions, they seemed to be enjoying the cooking process, laughing happily until their eyes almost disappeared.

This was the first castle employee Yu Xing had seen with an expression so far, but judging from their appearance alone, they were not as normal as the nun guide and the old butler.

Amidst the rising steam, a range hood was operating, making a distinctive mechanical rumble that added to the lively atmosphere of the kitchen.

As the smoke thinned slightly, Yu Xing could see the chefs' faces clearly. The three discoverers looked exactly alike, and since the kitchen and the observation deck were very close, he could deduce that these chefs were probably a little shorter than the average man, but much larger in size. With meat piled on top of meat, they definitely weighed over 300 pounds, and their entire bodies were in an extremely deformed state.

The chefs didn't look up, unaware of the two tourists peering over the crystal, and simply focused on cooking. They didn't speak to each other, but their teamwork was seamless, and their cooking efficiency was remarkable. Zeng Lai somewhat astonished. "They're like the fat guests in Spirited Away."

Yu Xing paused for a moment, then corrected, "More like the chef in Little Nightmare."

Little Nightmare is a real-world horror Yugi that was once quite famous. Yu Xing bought it and played it; the Yugi experience was alright, so it left a lasting impression.

In his opinion, the three chefs in Alice Castle looked about 80% similar to the chefs in that Yugi, and they looked like monsters.

"Can we eat the food they make? Won't we turn into them after eating it?" Zeng Lai felt a chill, but he didn't have the airs of a celebrity psychologist at all. He patted Yu Xing on the shoulder, "Isn't this a common trope in horror movies? The more you eat, the hungrier you get, and the hungrier you get, the more you eat, until you turn into a beast or monster that only knows how to eat. Tsk, are you going to eat dinner later?"

"Look at the ingredients they use. You can tell they're fresh, normal vegetables, and the meat over there—" Yu Xing pointed to the meat rack on the other side, where you could see freshly slaughtered cattle, sheep, and pigs. The origin of the meat was open and transparent.

The ingredients are healthy, at least I don't have to worry about eating things that humans can't eat.

He glanced at Zeng Lai: "Senior, you should know the answer to your question, right?"

"Sigh, I wanted to test your skills, but you saw right through me." Zeng Lai shrugged. "That's right, the food should be edible, because the main theme of this simulation isn't greed or gluttony. If we're talking about traps, they won't involve the food, otherwise they wouldn't have put the kitchen in front of us."

After watching the fat chefs cook for a while, Yu Xing lost interest and pulled Zeng Lai back to their room.

Alice assigned them rooms with handles on both the inside and outside, which could be locked by turning knobs from the inside, but there were no keys. This meant that anyone could enter another person's room when no one was in it.

Just thinking about it makes me feel unsafe.

Zeng Lai first followed Yu Xing into Yu Xing's bedroom, watching Yu Xing place the box on the bottom shelf of the room, covering it with books, and then glance at the time.

It was 5:48; time seemed to pass a little faster than they perceived.

"We still have forty minutes until lunch. Should we go back downstairs and take another look?" Yu Xing asked.

There are four staircases in the lobby on the first floor. They only went through one of them. By going ahead, they might be able to get a general idea of where the other three staircases lead.

"Okay, I'll go after a five-minute rest," Zeng Lai said. "I'm going back to my room. I'll call you in five minutes."

Yu Xing nodded and replied, "Okay."

Zeng Lai went out and closed the door behind her, leaving Yu Xing alone in the bedroom.

He took off the mask and let out a long sigh, lamenting once again how stuffy the mask was.

The dagger at his waist moved slightly, and Yi Qing, who had been watching him the whole way, appeared, floating in the air. He said with a refined and mocking tone, "Frail and sickly, too weak."

"... It'll be over soon." Yu Xing glanced at him, sensing that Yi Qing was in a good mood after encountering several ghosts and the castle chef, so she took the opportunity to ask, "Can you do me a favor?"

Yi Qing waved his fan casually in his hand. "What is it?"

Yu Xing raised the locked wooden box in her hand. "Could you use smoke to secretly put this box in Zeng Lai's room for me?"